Article author:
Reuters
Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey
ZAPORIZHZHIA — Ukrainian authorities held a disaster response drill Wednesday after repeated shelling at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
Both sides have accused the other of recent attacks near the facility and involvement in what they term "nuclear terrorism."
UN Secretary-General António Guterres wants demilitarized zones around factories to avert potential catastrophes, and on Thursday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Turkish Tayyip・I am planning to meet with President Erdogan.
As part of an emergency drill, Ukrainian first responders donned full protective equipment and dealt with a man who pretended to be a victim. After performing radiation scans, the team placed the patient on a stretcher, covered it with a glossy silver film, and loaded it into an ambulance.
First responders were screened for radiation before hosing down equipment and disposing of it. Officials say the drills will be repeated over the next few days.
Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Kharushchenko said his government was very concerned about the safety of the Enerkhodar power plant in the southeastern part of the country.
"That's why we're here, that's why we created this group," Kharshchenko told reporters.
Ukraine and Russia have said they want International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to visit their plants. The head of the agency, Rafael Grossi, said he was ready to lead the mission.
"Without concrete information about what's going on inside, they have to make technical assumptions about what's going on," Halshchenko said.
The factory is still run by Ukrainian engineers, even though Russian forces occupied it in his March in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow has called its invasion an operation to demilitarize its neighbors and protect Russian-speaking communities. Ukraine and its allies accuse Russia of waging an imperial-style war of conquest.
(reporting by Ivan Lyubysh-Kirdey, writing by David Ljunggren, editing by Grant McCool)
